New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-29

The temptation toward sens .tnu1l.>m IS gU''
Is strong among men Of science IL among
those who are not scientific. The tcnd'h'!
49, di>chun, the future e. buiI large theories
uuon small premises. to jump to concu'i'h'' j.
illustrated ~ every session Of every >cirnllhr
,.cfcty. one Consequence 81 this J., that the
ln,r,cutiGr world. which /, apt o. acc ~ "ih
,tno., pathctir confidence every position adj
.anccd ,a behalf 81 science. finds i'.cli COM
,o,led n intervals 10 revise lis beliefs. and
often. after holding some strongly stated Wow
Tor wears a. the final conclusion 81 The aulh"Il-
ties. 1t discovers 10 H. pcrpl"Mty ard amaze
mont that IL has all the tim" been p'nIlnI
its faith 10 pune conjecture having u" sup
p.r In a.o.Itainsd flc's The explanation Is
that men Of so.cncc are Just Is human Is lAc
rest u the race; that they do not Ike 10
admit tie fu'ihty Of then work; that they do
Ike to greet their brethren n stated assem-
I,ngcs with some novel and striking discovery 4;
and that therefore the scientific Imagination
frequently get the bit IN H. teeth and runs
away wIth these grave student, IN as Wild
and hcadlong way as though they were quite
c>pon,iblc, unpIaotica. people, such Is novel
ISIS or phywrights.
We have lccn moved to these remarks by the
tenor Of SOHO papers read at the recent meet
ing u the British Association and on one OF
them we shall say word OF two. Dr. Miner
Fo'hcryil d,scourScd upon "Ihc Eject ol
Town Illc upon the Human Body and what
conclusion did he come to- In effect neither
more nor less than that town lie Is turning
men from DR.. JcL us to Nlr. lIydcs. and that II
town dwcllcrs. after being degraded to the
HYDE condition, viii disappear. The way he
puts IT is that white the country fox are
-nrec-hmbcd staiwan, fair-hlilod Anglo
I,arcs7 Or Jcliylb their urban cousins are
smaller. slightcr. darker beings, Of an earlier
and i9A,i.r cthnic form. and resembling the
Cclio-ibcfan race (cloarly MIR. HYDE. And
what is the cause Of this disastrous mctamor-
bLoSis? Jr. Fothcrgil tets us that the
Tendency Of town populations Is To d"Indc,
and this dwindling is seen markedly III the
lccilc digestive capacity of town dwc."rs.
They cannot eat the pastry, the pic-cruNt the
cakes. which form So large "A potion OF the
dietary Of their country cousins II they at
tcmpt these Articles Of food they give thcm-
selves the stomaCh-achc. Consequently they
I've on such food as they can digest without
For truly al this is rbb sh and not Scicnc" at
all II is not true that town dWd are less
healthy than country dwrIcrs. 1t is not true
that their digcstionS are as rule weak. But
II l. true that town dV,i,crs understand better
than their country cousins how 10 nouish
thc,n-IvcS that they are more iud,cous and
cichtIiic in ih"lr choice and preparation of fcod
and that they wisely cndcavor to a;oid dls-
prpSa by good cooking.
There is pcuty RI dyspepsia ~ the country.
IL is inevitable that IT should be 50. ioi too
many country dwci,crs 1--we upon highly indi-
gcetiblc and UNIV hocsome food DR. Fothrrcll
talks nonsense when lac says that the oNcicisc
II care by the city people in Their dietary " is
fraught with danger City pcoi ic no doubt
often work too hard and live too much at Lich
pressure but that has nothIn" 20 do with the
food they eat. "Thc town dwcllCi,' says this
sensational doctor. =" in hi- SCI 'ction Of food T.,
guided by his feelings; he avoids what IS ne
pugnant TO HIM" Really. Aud where do the
people live who 60 b. the contrary rue; who
prefer what is rcpuenant TO them Smciy
tho country folk do not follow this amazing
course. Surety nobody docs. The truth is that
all such talh about the decay OF .hc town popu-
iaLions, about the marked physical deterioration